Ahmed El-Geneidy

Models of Transportation and Land Use Change: A Guide to the Territory

Modern urban regions are highly complex entities. Despite the difficulty of modeling every relevant aspect of an urban region, researchers have produced a rich variety of models dealing with interrelated processes of urban change. The most popular types of models have been those dealing with the relationship between transportation network growth and changes in land use and the location of economic activity, embodied in the concept of accessibility. This article reviews some of the more common frameworks for modeling transportation and land use change, illustrating each with some examples of operational models that have been applied to real-world settings. It then identifies new directions for future research in urban modeling and notes the important contributions of the field to date.

The link between built environment, pedestrian activity and pedestrian–vehicle collision occurrence at signalized intersections

This paper studies the influence of built environment (BE) - including land use types, road network connectivity, transit supply and demographic characteristics - on pedestrian activity and pedestrian-vehicle collision occurrence. For this purpose, a two-equation modeling framework is proposed to investigate the effect of built environment on both pedestrian activity and vehicle-pedestrian collision frequency at signalized intersections. Using accident data of ambulance services in the City of Montreal, the applicability of our framework is illustrated. Different model settings were attempted as part of a model sensitivity analysis. Among other results, it was found that the BE in the proximity of an intersection has a powerful association with pedestrian activity but a small direct effect on pedestrian-vehicle collision frequency. This suggests that the impact of BE is mainly mediated through pedestrian activity. In other words, strategies that encourage densification, mix of land uses and increase in transit supply will increase pedestrian activity and may indirectly, with no supplementary safety strategies, increase the total number of injured pedestrians. In accordance with previous research, the number of motor vehicles entering a particular intersection is the main determinant of collision frequency. Our results show that a 30% reduction in the traffic volume would reduce the total number of injured pedestrians by 35% and the average risk of pedestrian collision by 50% at the intersections under analysis. Major arterials are found to have a double negative effect on pedestrian safety. They are positively linked to traffic but negatively associated with pedestrian activity. The proposed framework is useful for the identification of effective pedestrian safety actions, the prediction of pedestrian volumes and the appropriate safety design of new urban developments that encourage walking.

Better Understanding of Factors Influencing Likelihood of Using Shared Bicycle Systems and Frequency of Use

Planning and transportation professionals are promoting a variety of sustainable travel alternatives, such as public transit usage, walking, and cycling, as affordable transportation options to counter the negative effects of widespread car use. In their traditional form, these alternative transport modes do not always offer the flexibility or convenience of the car; therefore, innovative solutions have been developed to allow active and public transport to compete better with the car. Shared bicycle systems have been adopted by a growing number of cities and regions throughout the world, yet little is known about the users of the systems and their motivations. A survey was conducted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the summer of 2010 to determine the factors that encouraged individuals to use the system and the elements that influenced frequency of use. The factor found to have the greatest effect on the likelihood for use of a shared bicycle system was the proximity of home to docking stations. Ownership of a yearly shared bicycle membership was associated with cyclists riding shared bicycles 15 additional times per year. Respondents indicated that they valued the shared bicycles trendy status and the role that it could play in bicycle theft prevention. The potential of shared bicycle systems can be maximized by increasing the number of docking stations in residential neighborhoods and by emphasizing the popularity of shared bicycles and theft prevention in advertising campaigns.

Analyzing Transit Service Reliability Using Detailed Data From Automatic Vehicular Locator Systems

The widespread adoption of automated vehicle location systems and automatic passenger counters in the transit industry has opened new venues in transit operations and system monitoring. Metro Transit, the primary transit agency in the Twin Cities, Minnesota region, has been testing various intelligent transportation systems (ITS) since 1999. In 2005, they fully implemented automatic vehicle location (AVL) technology and partially implemented an automatic passenger counter (APC) system. To date, however, there has been little effort to employ the data that has been collected to evaluate different aspects of performance. This research capitalizes on the availability of such data to better assess performance issues of one particular route in the Metro Transit system. The paper employs the archived data from the location systems of buses traversing on an example cross-town route to conduct a microscopic analysis of the reasons behind performance and reliability issues. We generate a series of analytical models to predict run time, schedule adherence and reliability of the transit route at two scales: the time point segment and the route level. The methodology includes multiple approaches to display ITS data within a geographic information system (GIS) environment to allow visual identification of problem areas along routes. The methodology also uses statistical models generated at the time point segment and bus route level of analysis to demonstrate ways of identifying reliability issues and what causes them. The analytical models show that while headways are maintained, schedule revisions are needed in order to improve run time. Finally, the analysis suggests that many scheduled stops along this route are underutilized and recommends stop consolidation as an effective strategy.

Segmenting preferences and habits of transit users and non-users

Ridership is a key goal in the transit industry. Conventional transit analysis focuses on 2 types of users—captive and choice riders—but rarely aims to understand the preferences of non-transit riders. This research aims to better understand habits and preferences—for both users and non-users of the transit system—as they relate to the transit market in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) metropolitan area. The paper first articulates different broad market segments commonly considered in transit research and follows by describing how specific features of transit service characteristics may play out in influencing demand. The source of 2 surveys analyzed in this application are described, one for existing transit users and a separate one for non-users. Our analysis approach employs factor and cluster analysis to shed light on preference and other characteristics for 8 different segments of transit users/potential transit users. The discussion section and conclusions highlight findings and prescribe relevant policy recommendations.

GENERATING TRANSIT PERFORMANCE MEASURES WITH ARCHIVED DATA

Measuring the performance of a transit system is the first step toward efficient and proactive management. Since 1990, the use of performance measures for transportation planning and operations has gained a great deal of attention, particularly as transportation agencies are required to provide service with diminishing resources. In the past, it was very difficult and costly to collect comprehensive performance data. Thus, until recently, the transit industry has relied on limited, general, and aggregate measures for reporting performance to external funding and regulatory agencies. In Portland, Oregon, the local transit provider (TriMet) has developed a bus dispatch system (BDS) consisting of automatic vehicle location, communications, automatic passenger counters, and a central dispatch center. Most significantly, TriMet had the foresight to develop a system to archive all of its stop-level data, which are then available for conversion to performance indicators. It is demonstrated that there are powerful ways in which the data collected by the BDS can be converted into potentially valuable Transit Performance Measures (TPMs). These TPMs have been proposed in the past but were not implemented because of data limitations. It is envisioned that systematic use of TPMs can assist a transit agency in improving the quality and reliability of its service, leading to improvements for customers and operators alike.

Build It. But Where? The Use of Geographic Information Systems in Identifying Locations for New Cycling Infrastructure

ABSTRACT Concern over climate change, traffic congestion, and the health consequences of sedentary lifestyles has resulted in a surge of interest in cycling as an efficient form of sustainable transportation. In order to best serve the needs of current cyclists and attract future ones, methodologies are needed to objectively determine the optimum location of new cycling facilities. This article uses Montréal, Canada, as a case study to demonstrate various methods for locating facilities. This research can be beneficial to transportation engineers and planners since it uses readily available data sources to recommend additions and improvements to a citys cycling infrastructure.

Achieving recommended daily physical activity levels through commuting by public transportation: Unpacking individual and contextual influences

This paper estimates the amount of daily walking associated with using public transportation in a large metropolitan area and examines individual and contextual characteristics associated with walking distances. Total walking distance to and from transit was calculated from a travel diary survey for 6913 individuals. Multilevel regression modelling was used to examine the underlying factors associated with walking to public transportation. The physical activity benefits of public transportation varied along gender and socio-economic lines. Recommended minutes of daily physical activity can be achieved for public transportation users, especially train users living in affluent suburbs.

Effects of Bus Stop Consolidation on Passenger Activity and Transit Operations

This paper analyzes changes in passenger activity and operating performance following implementation of a bus stop consolidation project at TriMet, the regional transit provider for the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. The study makes extensive use of archived bus operations and passenger activity data from TriMets automated bus dispatching system. Focusing on one of the first routes where stop consolidation has been implemented, changes in passenger activity and operating performance in route segments where stop consolidation occurred were related to changes in adjacent route segments where stops were not consolidated. The findings indicate that bus stop consolidation had no significant effect on passenger activity, while bus running times improved by nearly six percent. Running time improvements may have been limited by insufficient schedule adjustments.

Understanding the Factors Affecting Vehicle Usage and Availability in Carsharing Networks: A Case Study of Communauto Carsharing System from Montréal, Canada

ABSTRACT The novelty of carsharing as an alternative to private car raises a number of operating logistics questions. This study seeks to determine factors affecting vehicle usage through multilevel regression analysis and vehicle availability through a logistic regression analysis using the Communauto carsharing network in Montreal, Quebec case study. The number of vehicles parked at a station has the most effect on availability, with a great variation during the seasons. Vehicle usage is affected by average vehicle age, and by member concentration in the vicinity of stations. This research can be beneficial for carsharing operators to build or expand their network.